270 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. XIX. No. 484 



Stone Company, who furnished the Amherst stone, and the 

 reproductions of the floor plans to the kindness of the archi- 

 tects. Charles F. Mabery. 



THE STATUS OF EXPERIMENTAL AGRICULTURE. 



The average farmer is eminently conservative when about 

 his routine of work. He dislikes innovations as to methods 

 and distrusts ways and means not clearly " practical." This 

 obtains naturally from his life work. His maintenance de- 

 pends upon the precarious lives of plants and animals, 

 which in turn, in so far as they as beings are concerned, 

 thrive or perish according to the fiat of life principles, of the 

 working conditions of which, he, in common with the rest of 

 humanity, knows comparatively little. Experiments are 

 costly on the farm, time is cash in hand, and new methods 

 or added work, either apparent or real, must be backed by 

 necessity or success, else the usual method or condition will 

 remain unchanged — "The good old way, good enough." 



Because of this general conservatism, held principally in 

 position by the abstruse nature of the principles of life, 

 principles and practice of agriculture advance to place, 

 gain permanence of character, recognition slowly, indeed, 

 in comparison with development of other occupations, even 

 with that of the adoption of farm conveniences, would at 

 first thought seem almost at a standstill, so that, ease of 

 work, convenience, better machinery and appliances, yet 

 seem to leave the yield of labor much on an old-time basis. 



This is the dark side of the prospect of agriculture; that, 

 after all the years of man's efforts on the soil, virgin lands 

 still predominate in yield, and regions once prosperous are 

 no longer up to the standard of the new. Belief that such 

 should of necessity have occurred, or that the present new 

 shall eventually become as the old, need not here be dis- 

 claimed, — conditions differing much from those of old mili- 

 tate against such retrogression. The true agriculturist no 

 longer rushes blindly along with or against working princi- 

 ples of nature, — taking all or getting nothing according as 

 her resources yield to methods used, — but stands in many 

 aspects master of principles which, under rational control, 

 constantly tend toward lasting improvement, greater returns 

 in every field of labor. 



Aside from that which accrues from rapid general en- 

 lightenment, many factors unite in this country to place 

 principles of agricultural pursuits upon a higher plane, 

 amongst which may be named the rapid occupation of availa- 

 ble wild lands — the removal of a strong incentive to those 

 of most changeful mood as to locality. But by far the most 

 hopeful aspect, the condition most distinctive of agricultural 

 development, is the recognition of the idea of experiment 

 and the value of such effort upon the farm. Many, indeed 

 it may be said almost all of the most enlightened, successful 

 farmers spend a great part of their individual time in work 

 of an experimental nature, such work as a few years since 

 would have been spoken of as " puttering boy-play." While, 

 as previously noted, agriculture as an occupation has in gen- 

 eral, from the beginning, made less definite systematic ad- 

 w^ance as to principles of action than that noted in other pro- 

 tfessions, this can scarce be said of its later years. Indeed, 

 it is hardly to be questioned that in the last decade greater 

 progress has been made in agriculture as a science, more 

 definite principles of procedure gone into test than in all 

 other occupations of the country. Never before has the 

 farmer been so willing to accept, try new methods, acquiesce 



in scientific theories and demonstrations ; questions that 

 never broke through the cloud of sadness mantling the face 

 of the fate-beridden agriculturists of yore are handled, dis- 

 cussed, and worked upon in the light of experimental effort, 

 often with results most pleasing and not without pleasure 

 even in case of economic failure; for, with men who compile 

 results, negative ones are no longer considered as not to be 

 counted. Questions concerning effect of crop on soil, soil on 

 crop, crop on that which follows are in test by every culti- 

 vator of enterprise; stock-breeding is made to follow definite 

 laws of development, desert lands made to yield, and dis- 

 eases of plants and animals, that of old were pests sent by 

 chance or the Evil One, not to be availed against, meet a 

 man actively prepared to resist according to the dictates of 

 reason and direction of those who have previously succeeded 

 or may authoritatively advise. 



While the average farmer is thus markedly in an experi- 

 mental mood, willing to test as is best known, few have time 

 or bases of fact for initiation of experiments. Herein lies 

 the legitimate work, duty of the experiment station, and 

 with wise provision of the general government, every State 

 and Territory in the country is possessed of such an institu- 

 tion. Prom the first establishment of these institutions, the 

 impetus given to proper agricultural investigation has been 

 most noteworthy. While more has generally been expected 

 of them than has been forthcoming, yet in this connection 

 it is to be remembered that experimental facts are established 

 only after a proper lapse of time. Nevertheless, much of the 

 work, as shown in the published reports and bulletins, is 

 more fragmentary and less indicative of efficient experimental 

 effort than an enthusiast would wish. 



There are numerous reasons for the unexperimental indi- 

 cation of many station publications pertinent to anyone con- 

 versant with such work. But, aside from all such apparent 

 elements as may vex the ultra-scientific mind, none bears 

 heavier upon the future usefulness of the experiment station 

 than the varying ideas within the stations themselves as to 

 the true mission of the experiment station. Is it primarily 

 educational for the dissemination of facts not commonly 

 known, or is it experimental — to delve after that which is 

 unknown ? Among the stations, types of both are to be 

 found, but many are hybrid. Few publications outlining 

 attempts at pure experimentation are open to harsh criticism, 

 but many most lamentable conglomerates appear as the re- 

 sult of the other two ideas. Perhaps attempt at methods 

 "practical" and writings "popular" is an ignis fatuus. 



Closely associated with this indecision of purpose is the 

 point of how much should be undertaken. In general, it 

 may be said of the individual stations that too broad a field 

 is attempted, considered from the standpoint of the whole 

 force, and with few exceptions with reference to individual 

 work. Only such an expansive (more properly, perhaps, 

 filling) effort, or a disregard of the literature of the subject, 

 could result in a resume upon " Wheat Rust {Uredinece),^' 

 appending a recommendation of same preventive applied to 

 smuts of small grains. In this connection remarks upon the 

 effect of unfortunate recommendations upon experimental 

 ardor of the farmer are unnecessary. 



With the possible exception of experiments directly rela- 

 tive to the soil, results of scientific worth reached at any one 

 station will commonly be found generally applicable. In 

 order to attain something like systematic effort, and to pre- 

 vent useless, costly repetition, it may yet be found effectual, 

 necessary, to league the experiment stations of the country. 

 Each station could support one or two departments of inves- 



